Electric switch.



J. E. MUELROY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1909. 959,248 l WHEEEEE PMT ANDREW a. GMNAM oo. mmullmsmpuzis. wAsmlRNlit.

Patented May 24, 1910.

UNrrED STATES rA'rEN'r OFFICE.

JAMES F. MCELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED CAR HEATING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F WEST VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC swrr'oI-I.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MoELRoY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, the following being a full, clear, and exact disclosure of t-he one form of my invention which I at present deem preferable.

For a detailed description of the present form of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Figure l is a plan of my switch with the outside casing broken away and Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on line a; of Fig. 1.

My switch is particularly designed for use with electric heaters in .the vcabs of electric railway cars. My switch includes a push rod for closing the switch against the pressure of a spring, the switch when closed 'being automatically locked, together with a second push rod for releasing the switch and allowing it to open by the force of the spring. In the situation mentioned it is desirable to have the switch tripped automatically on the opening of the door of the cab, the cab being usually a portion of the car platform which is shut off by a door while being used as a cab and the door when opened being swung back against one wall to leave the space free to be used as a platform. It is desirable to thus automatically break the circuit of the heater and leave it inactive while the space is being used as a platform, in order to save current. For this purpose a switch with its operating and releasing push rod on different sides of the casing is better adapted to meet the requirements in a variety of different cab arrangements.

Referring to the drawing, G is an insulating block forming the foundation of the switch and on its upper side is attached a casting comprising a base plate F and two vertical studs thereon R and P. The stud R serves for the mounting of the two armed switch block, and the stud P for the reception of the releasing push rod C.

The switch-block comprises a pivoting sleeve K surrounding the stud R as shown in section in Fig. 2, with two arms B, B, as appear in Fig. l projecting radially with the said sleeve K. Outside of the sleeve K is a coiled torsion spring S secured at its upper Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1909.

Patented May 24, 1910. serial No. 517,958.

end to the stud R and at its lower end tothe sleeve K and set so as to tend to turn the switch-block, sleeved on the stud R, in a clockwise direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. l.

b b are contact springs engaged respectively by the arms B B of the switch-block and the tendency of the yspring S is to throw he arms B B out of contact with the springs E is a push rod passing through the wall of the casing and jointed at its inner end to the lower arm B of the switch-block. It is manifest that by pushing in on the r-od E the switch-block will be turned against the force of spring S to close the circuit by bringing the arms B B against the Contact springs.

The releasing push rod C has a metallic cap at its upper end, inside of which is a metallic sleeve H insulated from the cap C by a tubular block of insulation. This sleeve H fits over the aforesaid vertical stud P, and a coiled torsion spring T is inserted in a recess between the sleeve and the stud. This springl T is secured, one end to the stud, and the other end to the sleeve. On the left-hand lower edge of the sleeve H (see Fig. 2) is 'a lock stud c projecting downward through an opening in the base-plate F, and capable of a vertical movement on the stud P, which movement is resisted by the spring T. On one side of the above mentioned two-arm switch-block is a projection D, and this projection engages the aforesaid lock stud c, fthe said stud c resting in the hook of the projection when the switch-block is in the closed circuit position shown in Fig. 1.,.and thereby locking the switch-block in that position. lVhen, however, the push rod C is depressed, the lock stud c is pushed down, out of the path of the projection D and the switchblock thereby released and left free to rotate by the action of spring S to open the circuit. As the switch-block swings the proj ection D passes over the stud c, holding stud P depressed. To close the circuit, the rod E is pushed inward and the projection D uncovers the lock stud c which is elevated by spring T and engages said projection to lock the switch-block in its closed-circuit position, as mentioned above. The trainman, when he desires to use the cab, will lclose the door behind him to partition off the cab portion of the platform and will push rod E to close the circuit of his cab heater. He then need give it no more attention, for the switch will be so located that the push-rod C will stand in the path of the cab door when it is open, and when the engineer leaves the cab he will open the door, which will hit the rod C and release the switch. The rod C can ot course also be pushed in by hand.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, an automatic lock for locking said switch block against the tension of its spring, and a push rod for moving said lock to unlocking position.

2. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, a spring pressed lock for locking said switch block against the tension of its spring, and a push rod for moving said lock to unlocking position, said switch block being provided with means for holding said lock against the action of said spring in the unlocked position.

3. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, said switch block being provided with a projection, a spring pressed lock for said projection to hold said switch block against the tension of its spring, and a push rod for moving said lock to the unlocking position, said projection being constructed to retain said lock in the unlocked position when said lock is actuated by its push rod.

4. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, a depressible locking member, and means for operating the same, said switch block being arranged to pass over said locking member when the same is depressed, whereby said locking member is operated when the switch block is actuated by its push rod.

5. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, said switch block being provided with a projection, a locking member provided with a depressible lug arranged to engage said projection to hold said switch block against the action of its spring, means for depressing said lug, said projection being arranged to pass over said locking lug when the latter is depressed, whereby said locking member is released when the switch block is actuated by its push rod.

6. An electric switch comprising a pivotally mounted spring pressed switch block, a push rod pivotally connected to said block, and a spring pressed sleeve provided with a locking lug arranged to intercept the path of movement of said switch block, said switch block being arranged to hold said lug in the unlocking position when said sleeve is moved in opposition to its spring.

7. An electric switch comprising a base, studs projecting therefrom, a switch block having a sleeve mounted to oscillate on one of said studs, a spring acting to rotate said sleeve, a push rod provided with a sleeve slidingly mounted on the other stud, and a locking stud carried by said push rod and arranged to lock said switch block against the tension of its spring.

8. An electric switch comprising a base, studs projecting therefrom, a switch block having a sleeve mounted to oscillate on one of said studs, said switch block being provided with a projection, a spring acting to rotate said sleeve, a push rod provided with a sleeve slidingly mounted on the other stud, and a locking stud carried by said push rod and arranged to engage the projection on said switch block to lock the latter against the tension ot its spring.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand before two subscribing witnesses, this 13th day of September, 1909.

JAMES F. MCELROY.

Vitnesses:

BEULAH CORLE, JOHN M. Es'rERLY. 

